A close-up photo of a barrel cactus with long, dense spines in shades of purple, pink, and white growing on a rocky desert slope. The muted background features sparse vegetation and weathered granite textures under soft, natural light.

Roaming around the Alabama Hills, I noticed several of these cool cacti. It's fascinating how different the desert plants are from the midwest forests.

#G+Circle #photographersofbluesky #eastcoastkin #fujifilm #desertbotanicals #cactus #southwestlandscape #desertplants

Up close image of a hand holding a tiny brush painting a detailed watercolor painting of a Medusa midge gall on a sagebrush branch.

image of a hand resting on an easel holding a tiny brush near a painting on white paper of a detailed realistic watercolor painting of a Medusa midge gall on a sagebrush branch.

Up close and magnified photograph of a tiny Medusa midge gall, a globular nest of leaves growing from a sagebrush branch on a wood background

Up close photo of a globular clump of leaves a Medusa midge gall growing on a sagebrush branch with the tan cracked desert floor in the background

Watching the new administration take on its hideous form and thinking of parasitic plants like these Medusa midge galls growing on sagebrush. Tiny insects subvert the sagebrush’s growth mechanisms to form their own little leafy nurseries.
#art #painting #joyisresistance #parasitic #desertbotanicals